Flesh and Blood
by LestatHughLover
Summary: Part 3 of the Drug Store Heroin series  DSH, Road to Recover, Flesh and Blood   Hope you enjoy the next adventure.  "A series of drug overdoses prompts the DC police to contact the FBI to try and find a connection and stop their killer."
1. The Return

**_A/N: I meant to post this on Jan 1st, but I totally forgot. Sorry to those who have been begging me for it._**  
**_Here it is now... So, start harping on me to write I need to get chapter 2 out!_**  
**_Enjoy, and get ready for what might be another year of Angst, Friendship, Love, Temptation, and anything else yummy like that._**

**_Cheers!_**

* * *

Flesh and Blood

**Chapter 1: The Return**

Six months. Six months had passed for Reid since he had re-entered the world of the sober souls. He was thankful every day for what he had achieved. He was one of the lucky ones, and he knew it. The statistics were always there, in the forefront of his mind, to remind him.

His new apartment was larger than his previous one, located in a secure building. Controlled access and gated. Safe. It was one less thing he needed to worry about. The apartment was clean and well-kept. The door opened into a small foyer, a closet to the left, beyond which were his desk and computer, and spreading open into the living room on the right. Past the living room were large sliding glass doors leading to a balcony overlooking the trees and manicured walkways on the building's property. Further into the semi-open space was the quaint kitchen, the first left off the hall, all upgraded appliances. The corner closest to the living space was cut out so that guests could interact with their host. The next door in the hallway was to the large bedroom on the right, complete with his-&-hers closets. Reid's clothes filled up only half of what he had chosen as the "his" side. At the end of the hall was a small room with a private furnace and water heating system. To the left of this was a small hall, next to the kitchen, with a vertical washer/dryer setup, and a final door on the right, hosting the bathroom.

There was a new addition in Reid's life as well. A six year old brown tabby, which he had renamed Hypatia after Hypatia of Alexandria, a famous female philosopher. She gave him a focus, something to care for. An innocent life he was responsible for.

During the long days when the team was away on a case, he could settle down with a good book, read it slowly, and she would be there, purring away next to him, and occasionally on top of him, getting her face into the book.

And at night, it was comforting to have something warm to snuggle up to. It was starting to cool off outside, the leaves slowly starting to shift colours; September.

Reid stood at his balcony window, looking out onto the trees below while Hypatia curled around his legs mewing at him. He glanced down at her with a small smile. "I'm okay, just thinking." She mewed again. "What about? Nothing really, just that it was about a year ago when I started to spiral out of control. And in three more months, it'll be a year since I hit rock bottom. So, it's depressing, but it's a good thing. Nine months clean."

Hypatia nuzzled his leg with a soft meow, and then trotted off down the hall, presumably to go lay on the bed. Reid chuckled to himself, once again realizing that he was in fact talking to his cat. He'd seen pet owners do it, read about it, but he had never understood it completely, and now he found himself doing it nearly every day. And frankly he didn't care if she could understand him or not, she acted like she did and that was good enough for him.

A knock on his door let him know that Gideon had arrived. Reid called over his shoulder, "Come in!" The door didn't open. With a sigh, and a shake of his head he turned and strode across the living room to open the door. He didn't bother to say 'hello' as he opened the heavy door. "You can just come in you know. You have a key for a reason."

Gideon smiled stiffly, "I know," he said as he crossed the threshold, "I just don't want you to feel like I'm intruding."

"I wouldn't have given you the gate password, main door key card, and a key to this door," he said as he closed it behind his guest, "if I would have felt that way about you letting yourself in."

"I know that too," Gideon replied. "It's about trust. I trust you to be okay, and answer the door. And you need to trust me to not just come in and check up on you unexpectedly."

Reid shook his head with a half-smile, "I appreciate that, but in this case I was expecting you."

Gideon moved to the couch and sat down, putting his bag of work-related files and books on the floor by his feet.

"I'll put the coffee on; back in a flash." Reid said, turning towards the hall and making his way to the kitchen. As he entered the room, he immediately hurried to the coffee machine and flipped the switch, having already done the preparation earlier. He glanced up through the opening in the wall, and noticed that Gideon already had a case file out and was studying it intently. Seeing the tan folder with the FBI logo on the cover made his heart skip a beat. It was the first time Gideon had brought anything work related over. Maybe it meant something good for him. Maybe he was going to be allowed to help out now. Or maybe Gideon just hadn't gone home to drop it off first.

Reid tried not to get his hopes up as he returned with the coffee. Gideon closed the folder and took the offered mug from Reid's hand before Reid sat down across from him. Reid fidgeted for a moment as he looked at the folder. He didn't want to sound desperate but his curiosity was winning out. "So," he motioned to the folder, "what do you have there? Anything interesting?"

Gideon looked up from his coffee, "Local case, but you know I can't talk to you about it."

Reid's expression deflated slightly, "Oh, I thought that maybe, you wanted my help."

"Sorry, Spencer, I didn't mean to give you that impression. We probably could use your brain on this one, but that's not my call. It's up to Hotch and Strauss to sign off on your reintegration to the team."

Reid sighed, "Yeah. Do you think they ever will? I mean, you have been telling them how much better I am, right?"

"Of course I have. Aaron knows how much you want to be back with us, and he knows you're almost ready. And when the time comes, he'll fight for you. We all will." Gideon assured Reid.

"Alright." Reid replied. There was a brief pause before he continued, "He hasn't come to see me in a few weeks."

Gideon gave Reid a half smile, "That's more often than he used to visit a year or two ago."

Reid smiled a little, "Okay, true." His gaze once again fell on the folder in front of Gideon. "Are you sure I can't have a little peek?"

Gideon mused over it for a moment before speaking, "I can't knowingly allow you to do that. I can't witness it." A pause. "I'm going to go to the bathroom; I'll be about two minutes." He stood giving Reid a sideways smile before moving past him and down the hall.

Reid waited until Gideon had disappeared down the hall before jumping on the folder. Two minutes was plenty of time for him. He opened it and flipped passed the pages of information, and onto the victim photos; those would take the longest for him to study – no words. There were only about 10 photos, but with them was a list that must have neared 100 names, and their information. He frowned; victimology was seemingly all over the map. No constants in age, race or gender, though the majority did seem to be male, and they were all malnourished.

One of the photos made his breath catch in his throat; a splash of dark curls against a hard cold coroners slab. He did a double take and breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't him. It wasn't Tamesis.

Reid took a couple seconds to refocus, and then flipped to the cause of death of each of the victims, to see the connection there. Obviously they weren't of the same physical type, so the connection had to be in _how_ they died. Cause of death was a drug overdose – Reid shuddered – a combination of a handful of drugs was found in their systems. All in varying amounts, but all the same drugs.

He turned the pages to look at the list of drugs; LSD, PCP, Ecstasy, THC, cocaine, heroin, and meth. He frowned and read the list again, and then once more. He was still staring at it when Gideon returned and cleared his throat to get Reid's attention. Reid ignored him as he went back to the beginning of the folder and started speed reading the entire thing.

Gideon sighed and moved back to his position on the couch. "Spencer, put it down. I wasn't supposed to see you reading it." Reid continued to ignore him. "Spencer…" Gideon reached a hand out to take the folder from him, but Reid refused to let go.

Looking up into Gideon's eyes, Reid held his gaze, unblinking. "I _need_ to be on this case. Call Hotch right now, and tell him I'm working on this case no matter what."

"Spencer, I can't do that. I can let him know you want to be, but that's all."

"No, that's not good enough. I can help with this. I know this case. I know who's behind this." Reid insisted.

Gideon furrowed his brow. "What do you mean? Who is it?"

Reid took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "It's Connors."


	2. Reintroduction

Chapter 2: Reintroduction

The following morning Reid walked behind Gideon into the FBI offices; a visitors badge on his chest, as his was stored safely in Hotch's office. He couldn't help but feel some of the eyes on him, and while he knew that no one but the team and Strauss knew why he'd been gone, the eyes made him feel like they all knew.

They walked up to Hotch's office and took a seat until Hotch hung up the phone, which had rung as they entered. "So, what's going on?"

Reid looked at Gideon, who took the lead. "Spencer thinks he can help with our current case. And I think he'd be useful too."

"How so?" Hotch asked.

Reid cleared his throat, "Because I know who's behind it, and I'm the only one who can get you on the inside." Hotch remained silent waiting for more, so Reid started again. "It's Connors."

Hotch's face remained stoic, but his eyes gave away his feelings on the situation. "That is not a good idea, Reid."

"I know it's not, but do you have any other idea's that are better?" There was no reply. "Look, it sucks; I don't want to do it just as much as you don't want me to, but trust me when I say there is no other way. The only way to bring him down is from the inside. You remember how well the raid on his compound worked last time? He got away, and he'll get away again if you don't let me help. I don't want to see any more dead young men tossed aside like trash because of him. I could have been one of them, so I have to help stop it. I_ have_ to!"

Hotch listened to the speech, noting how impassioned Reid was. He considered it for a long while before replying. "Alright, you can help, but not as an agent. As a civilian consultant, which means one member from the team must be with you at all times. Understood?"

Reid nodded once, "Yes, sir. That's all I ask for."

Hotch picked up the receiver of his phone again, "I'll arrange for you to have a consultants tag, you should head down and get your picture taken for it right away. The rest of the team should be here in an hour, I want you to sit in with us while we discuss options."

Gideon and Reid stood and Reid gave a small smile to Hotch. "Thank you, sir."

Hotch nodded, "Don't disappoint me."

Reid followed Gideon out of the room, and back to the elevators. It was going to be a long day, but the best one in months.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Reid and Gideon were last to arrive at the meeting, but they received the most welcome. Everyone stood to give Reid a hug and welcome him back. The fact he wasn't officially back didn't seem to matter to any of the team, including Hotch, though he didn't show it as much. The dynamic felt right again, and that was what mattered.

They took their seats; Reid's new consultant badge, hot off the press, was pinned to his chest to replace the visitors one. They began to review the evidence for a third time.

"Seems to me these were meant to look like simple overdoses. Had autopsy's and tox screens not been done, there never would have been a connection." Prentiss said and received nods of agreement.

Reid cleared his throat, "They're experiments. Connors had forced me to work for him, trying to come up with a Super Drug that was stable enough to be taken and not cause an overdose. OD the client, and you no longer have a client. But that's how I knew it was him, the combination of drugs in the victims system is exactly what he had me working on. Obviously he hasn't perfected it yet. I might be one of the only people in the world who could make it work." Reid said, shocking himself with his own boldness about his abilities. "What I mean is, he'll keep experimenting until he gets it right, but I don't think he ever will. So unless we can stop him, he'll keep killing people with this drug."

"Sounds pretty straightforward, but how do we get to him?" JJ asked, remote in hand.

"Through me." Reid said simply.

Morgan raised a brow. "No way. Absolutely not. You shouldn't get anywhere near him, kid."

Reid frowned, "I know that, but there is no other way. I can do this. I know I'm strong enough to do this. Please, trust me, Morgan."

"We just don't want to see you fall back to where you were. It's…" Morgan struggled with the words to use without losing his macho image, "…painful, for the rest of us too."

"I know that. I know that if I went back to that dark place, I would be hurting more than myself, but I also know that I have the tools, the life-skills, to not go back to that. I learned the skills in rehab, and I want to stay clean so badly, that I know I won't let myself slip. I won't forget what I learned." Reid looked at Morgan, making eye contact, honesty in his gaze.

After a moment of consideration, Morgan smiled, "It's impossible for you to forget what you learn."

The statement seemed to lighten the mood of the room.

"Okay, but you can't go in there alone." Morgan said.

"I won't be; rule is I have to have one of you with me at all times, so, I'll have backup." Reid replied.

Hotch cleared his throat and gathered the attention again. "And with that settled, we can get back to discussing the case. Reid, what do we know about his defenses."

"That they're impossible to get into without an invitation. The doors are a foot thick, and held fast with bolts, and backup hydraulics. You'd have to cut the main power, and the backup power, which would be located inside, to get past that part. And then you'd have to cut your way through the bolts. By that point he'd be long gone. Even if you cover the exits, I wouldn't put it past him to have some sort of underground escape route." He took a breath and continued, "What we need to do is get me, and whoever is with me, in to a meeting with him. He's a diplomat in attitude, he likes fair trades, and deals. He's all about business and protecting his bottom line. We need to come up with a way to use that against him."

There were nods around the room, but no suggestions as to how to go about doing such.

"Great," Hotch said, "I want Prentiss and Jason to start working on that, and Garcia to look into his finances, and find out anything you can. JJ I want you to hit up any reporter contacts you have to see if they've ever done any research on him that never made it to print, or on air, and why. Finally, Morgan, you're with Reid for now, I want you to get started on setting up that meeting. You need to do anything you can to convince him you need to see him. Is that clear, everyone?"

Once more, nods of agreement circled the room and everyone stood to go off to do their assigned tasks.

Hotch put a hand on Reid's shoulder before he could exit the room. "I'm glad you're here. This won't be easy, but I'm going to trust you. This is your one chance, Reid. Make us all proud."

Reid nodded with a smile at the slightly cliché line. "I will. I promise."


	3. Negotiations

Chapter 3: Negotiations.

Reid set his phone on the table in front of him, while Morgan stood behind him. They had found a private room to set up their call, and now the phone was on speaker and ringing as they waited for an answer.

The ringing stopped and there was silence. Reid cleared his throat, knowing the routine. "Connors. I need to see you."

The voice on the other end was smug, "Why, he lives! He speaks! The good Doctor is alive and well. How many months has it been?"

Reid frowned, "Not enough." He took a breath, "Look, I need to see you, can we set up a meeting for me and a friend?"

"Might I inquire as to the topic of this meeting?"

"A business negotiation; that's all I have to say. Are you interested or not?" Reid forced himself to be the one with the control, while glancing back at Morgan who gave him an encouraging nod.

"I could never turn down a meeting with an old friend, and perhaps a new friend too. Tomorrow, noon, I'll make sure there are drinks. Meet me at the main compound; I have a surprise for you."

The line went dead and Reid picked up his phone again, and closed it, turning to look at Morgan. "That was too easy. Something's up."

With a nod Morgan agreed, "We'll have to be on our guard more than usual."

~*~*~*~*~

Garcia tapped away at her keys with lighting precision. Searching through everything on Alexander Connors, and coming up with nothing too useful. No prior convictions, no connections to anyone who's ever been picked up for dealing drugs. She dug further. Bank accounts, plural, were showing an endless supply of money in multiple offshore accounts. Any one of them would have been enough to live on ten-fold, let alone putting them all together. Donations had been made in reasonable amounts to many high-profile businesses in and around DC. On the surface it was clear that Alexander Connors was a stand-up guy, it was when she dug even deeper that she found out more.

Alexander Connors didn't exist. Whatever he was called now, wasn't what he was born as. There were no records prior to him turning up at age 28, as a businessman in DC. No records of a legal name change anywhere, and no information on where he came from. For all intents and purposes Alexander Connors was a perfect, non-existent, member of society. That is, if one didn't include the one juvenile record, which took a little hacking to get into. While the real name wasn't listed, the pseudonym of "Connors, Alexander" had been used by an 18-year-old in Texas, picked up on a drug trafficking charge. He paid his own bail and was out before the ink was even dry.

And that was it. Nothing else on the mystery man could be found as much as Garcia's pride wished it could.

She stood and exited the room, spying JJ on the way out, and standing politely to wait for JJ to be done on the phone. JJ covered the mouth-piece and nodded at Garcia, "What is it? I'm on hold."

Garcia passed along all the information that she had just found, and JJ informed her that she would tell the rest of the team.

~*~*~*~*~

JJ hung up her phone and made her way to Hotch's office. She knocked on the door, and then entered as she heard the invitation through the door. "Sir, I made a few calls, and I've come up with some interesting information. There's no proof, just a lot of theories, but I think it'll be good to know anyway."

Hotch motioned for her to continue. "People are saying Connors has connections everywhere; the police force, the government, possibly even here in the FBI. And according to Garcia, with a seemingly endless supply of money, there's nothing he can't do if he wants to. He has people in his pocket I'm sure of it."

Hotch frowned, "The easiest way to get to him would be to get the people he's bribed and take them out. Then he'd have no one to fall back on when we bring charges against him. However, for that to work we need to know who they are."

"I'll inform Prentiss and Gideon, and then see if Garcia can find anything else." She turned, and closed the door behind her.

~*~*~*~*~

Prentiss and Gideon sat in his office trying to come up with some sort of plan to present to the crime boss causing this string of dead bodies.

Emily furrowed her brow, "I don't know if we can take him out for good. Not if what JJ says is true."

"We'll figure something out." Gideon offered; the eternal optimist.

Prentiss shrugged, unsure. "This seems like a lot of work. Don't get me wrong, I like a challenge, but this is almost insane. We can't just ask him for the names, without something in return, and we have nothing to give. And we can't ask him to stop his supposed experiments just because we say so. We need something to hold over him."

"What does he want?" Gideon prompted.

Prentiss thought about it for a moment. "He wants the solution to his super-drug."

"So, we give him that, in exchange for information."

"Only we don't have it."

Gideon smiled, "We don't, but Spencer might."

Prentiss returned the smile. "Good thinking."

~*~*~*~*~

Reid and Morgan nodded to Prentiss as she presented them with the plan. Reid licked his lips nervously, "Okay, I'll need a few hours to figure it out. He'll want to test it, make sure it works. If I give him something fake, he'll know right away, even without testing it. He can read me like a book. He's just like us, just as smart, and just as good at profiling."

"Only he's not just like us." Morgan said, "He's a serial killer and a drug dealer."

Reid waved that statement off like it wasn't what was important here. "True, but you can't think of him that way. If you do, you'll underestimate him, and we can't afford that."

"So," Prentiss said, "you need to get to work on that and have it ready by tomorrow."

A sigh came across Reid's lips, not because he didn't want to do the work, or that it would be too hard, but simply because he would be coming face to face with the man that ruined him. The thought was unnerving, and sent a chill down his spine. He was dreading it, but it was the only way, and it had been his idea, so backing out of it was out of the question. And it was only 18 hours away.

A hand on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts, and he looked up at Morgan. "I'm just trying to figure out the fine details." Reid offered the answer to the unasked question.

"You had that thinking look on your face." Morgan said with a cocky smile, "So I figured as much."

Reid shot him a mini-glare, but then followed it up with a smile. "I better get home, I need to work on this, and I'm going to be late feeding Hypatia. She's not going to be happy."

After making sure he said goodbye to everyone, he headed home, brain still on overdrive as he worked on the formula in his head. The drive seemed to be short, and he couldn't exactly remember all the steps it had taken to get home, but now found himself in the hall of his apartment, standing in front of his door with the key in hand. He opened it, and deactivated the alarm system before greeting Hypatia and giving her her supper, which she greatly appreciated.

The following hours found him sitting on his couch with papers in front of him, scribbled with tiny notes and formulas. It was coming to him easier than he thought it would. Slowly as the minutes ticked by, and with Hypatia curled up beside him, he worked it out. Tick Tick Tick. The sound of the clock was all he heard until the rumble of Hypatia's soft purrs stirred the air.

Reid paused, leaning back into the couch, and laying a hand on his cat, stroking her slowly. The formula was almost complete. Just another half hour and he'd have it all tucked away in his brain and ready for the meeting at noon the next day. He let his brain relax for a few minutes before getting back to work, making the final touches to it and eventually crawling into bed.

~*~*~*~*~

The following day the team gathered at the BAU offices before departing for the location of the main compound. They convoy of SUV's parked just down the block and let Morgan and Reid out to walk the rest of the way. As they approached the steel door Reid looked up into the security camera, and waited. It took only 30 seconds for the door to hiss open with the sound of the hydraulics releasing. An older man Reid knew as Troy was waiting for them on the other side. He turned and beckoned them to follow with a silent hand, paying no attention to the FBI vests they wore on their chests.

They made their way to the main, vast study, where Connors usually sat next to the fire. Today was no different and as they entered he stood to greet them. "Ahh, Doctor Reid. And this is your friend," he paused for effect, "Agent… Morgan, right? Derek Morgan. It's a pleasure." As he drew closer he held out his hand, ever the gentleman, for Morgan to shake.

After a slight look of disgust, Morgan accepted the hand, and shook it shortly. "Wish I could say the same."

Reid glanced at Morgan, giving him a warning look. Not something he would usually do, but he was the one taking the lead here. He turned his attention back to Connors. "Sir," he said with a nod. "I regret to inform you that you're getting sloppy. We, my team, have been called in to investigate the drug overdoses you've been causing. And don't begin to deny it; I know it's you, because I worked for you."

"You always were a smart boy, but I'm afraid, if that's why you're here, I can't help you. You have no solid proof against me, no one in a court would ever take your word for it; the word of a junkie."

Reid glared, losing a bit of his cool. "_Former_ junkie," he corrected. "And you might be right, but I have something you will want."

"And what might that be?" Connors asked; voice smooth as silk.

"The solution to your problem; the finished formula." Reid replied.

"I suppose you'll want something in return for this information?"

Reid gave a nod, "You'd be correct. I want the names of the people you've paid off to keep your operation running."

Connors raised a brow, the only sign that he hadn't expected that reply. "That's a high price you're asking for, and all I get in return is the formula… and the demise of my business. I think not."

"Your business will be fine. You have the money and the means to pay off new people when we take yours away, so really you lose nothing and neither do we."

After a moment of consideration Connors shook his head. "I have a better idea." He turned to one of his staff, a thin young man with dark hair, a large chunk of it covering one eye, and short in the back, and whispered in his ear. The man, who Reid knew only by his number, "Four", strode off and out of a different door than the one they'd entered in. Reid watched him carefully, not knowing much about him, but knowing enough that if he was fourth in line amongst the drop boys, that meant he was dangerous.

The air in the room grew thick with anticipation, as they waited for Four's return, only the sound of the crackling fire cut through the silence.

The door opened again, and two large men strode in, each holding the thin arm of another man who was face down, naked, and being dragged between them; knees and feet scraping on the rough industrial floor. Reid couldn't help the gasp that escaped his lips as he recognised the mop of curly black hair on the man in the middle. It took everything in him not to dash across the room, and make sure he was alright.

Instead he turned his gaze to Connors again. "What are you trying to pull?"

"Nothing, dear boy, nothing. I just figured you would prefer to have this piece of trash, rather than the names. This is something I'm willing to part with. Of course, he'll probably die in a few more days, at least with you he might last a week."

The man groaned. The voices he heard weren't making any sense to him. His boss was there, but there was another voice too… One he knew, but had to be imagining. The owner of the voice was dead, he was sure of it.

Reid glanced at Morgan then back to Connors, debating. Connors sighed and motioned to Four, who was standing behind the group of three. Four reached forward and grabbed the curls in his right hand, while producing an intricate knife from somewhere in the vest he was wearing. The blade touched the soft skin on the neck in front of him.

He kept his eyes closed, but could feel the knife at his throat, taunting him. This was it; Connors had finally decided to get rid of him. He'd lost track of the months, lost track of all time. But now he knew what time it was. It was time to die, and he was okay with that. He'd been hoping for it for a long time, but the day had never come, until now.

Slowly he leaned forward into the sharpened edge of the blade, trying to bring on the death faster. He barely winced as it nicked his skin enough to draw a slow but steady drip of blood.

Reid looked at Four in horror, watching the hawk-like gaze and the creepy grin as the blood started to fall. "Stop this!" Reid shouted. "I'll give you the formula, just let him go!" He took a step towards Connors producing a paper with the formula on it from his pocket.

Morgan reached for him but missed, "Reid, that's not what the plan is. You can't do that."

As the paper landed in Connors hands, Four backed off and the other two men let go of the arms they held, causing the man between them to fall with a thud onto the ground. He whimpered, licking his lips before whispering, "Please… Kill me. I can't… do this… anymore." His voice was hoarse.

Reid shot a look at Morgan, "I know you don't like him. I know you probably hate him. But he saved my life. Now I've saved his." He turned and jogged across the room falling to his knees in front of the body on the floor. Slowly he stroked the man's cheek, and brushed his hair from his face, noting that it was sticky with what seemed to be blood. "Hey… T? Tamesis? It's me, it's Reid. You're gonna be alright."

T blinked his eyes open and looked up at the blurry shape in front of him. "You? He told me you died. That you weren't coming for me. That I was going to die alone."

"You won't die. I promise. I'm gonna take you home with me." He looked over his shoulder at Morgan and pleaded with his eyes. "Help me; you're stronger than I am. I can't carry him out of here."

Morgan sighed, not liking this situation at all, but obliged to Reid's request.

As Morgan approached Reid looked over the wounds on the man he had shared his darkest hours with. Lashes, electrical and cigarette burns, other cuts and bruises; and that was only what he could see before Morgan picked him up. Reid stood, turning his attention back to Connors who sat with a smug smile on his face.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Doctor." He said, as Reid picked up his pace and followed Morgan out of the compound.


	4. Care and Confession

Chapter 4: Care and Confession

Once they were outside of the compound Reid got on his phone, calling Hotch. "Sir, we need you to come to us. I'll explain when you get here, but we need the SUV." Hotch didn't ask any questions, but his tone was concerned as he agreed.

While they waited Reid spoke softly to T. "We're going to get you help, okay. Clean you up, and you'll be okay. You'll be fine, just trust me."

T groaned, hands gripping Morgan's FBI vest, unconsciously nuzzling his shoulder, and making Morgan very uncomfortable. Morgan shifted the weight in his arms without a fuss however.

Reid shook his head, mouth slightly agape. "What did he do to you?" he mused out loud.

T answered, even though Reid hadn't expected one. "Punished. I was bad. Needed to learn… lesson."

"What lesson?" Reid asked.

"Never disobey, the boss. Never let the one you're watching OD. Never lose the client. Never get… distracted." A breath. "I almost let you die, I thought you had. Because I was… busy… distracted… I lost you."

"But you also saved my life. You called Gideon, and he called 911, and you both saved my life. I would have died if you didn't contact anyone."

T whimpered, almost in denial of the truth, just as the convoy of SUV's pulled around the corner.

Reid opened the back door, and crawled in, letting Morgan put Tamesis across the seats, head in Reid's lap. "We need to get him to a hospital."

Tamesis let out a short scream, "No! No no no. No hospital, I can't… they'll find me. They'll find me, Reid. I can't let them."

"Okay, okay, just calm down, T. Calm down. No hospital… I can see you're scared." Reid looked up at Hotch in the driver's seat, confused, looking for guidance.

Hotch frowned, "He needs a doctor, he needs those wounds tended to."

T murmured to Reid, "You're a doctor."

Reid smiled sadly, "I'm not that kind of doctor."

T winced, but tried his best to put on his sassy attitude. "Your point?"

Reid shook his head, "You're impossible." He sighed, "I'll take you to my place. Most of your injuries just need to be disinfected and wrapped. I'll take care of it." He looked up at Hotch who had a disapproving look on his face, but put the SUV into gear and started down the road.

"You shouldn't have done this." Hotch said, trying to be casual about it.

"Done what? Saved a life?" Reid replied, defensive. "Connors would have ordered his man to kill him. Trust me. I know him. I won't have a life on my hands."

"I wouldn't ask you to, but now we don't have what we came for."

"No, but he has the formula, the deaths will stop. Isn't that just as important?" Reid argued, subconsciously stroking T's hair.

Morgan cleared his throat. "Look, I don't really condone what Reid did, or rather how he did it. And I have no like for this man, but I wouldn't have stood back and let him die either."

Hotch sighed, "That's not what I mean. We'll talk about this another time. For now let's just focus on helping this man… your… friend." Hotch flipped on the lights and sirens, and headed towards Reid's apartment.

Morgan carried Tamesis into Reid's apartment and into the bedroom, laying him on the bed, and covering him with a sheet. Hotch and Gideon had dropped them off and were now heading to a drugstore to pick up some medical supplies. Reid stroked T's hair again, while looking up at Morgan.

"Thank you for helping me. I know you don't care for T at all, but it means a lot to me that you helped. That you trusted me in there. Just, thank you."

Morgan cast T a look of distaste, "'Don't care for' is an understatement. He aided your drug use."

"He kept me from ODing." Reid countered.

"He stole you away from us, when we were trying to help."

"No, I _left. _He kept telling me that he could see how much you guys cared, and that I should go back to you, but I didn't want to. He had nothing to do with it." Reid's voice raised in volume as he defended T.

"What about how he let you live in an ice cold basement?"

"Actually, he made Connors give us a hotel room. Warm. Room-service. All paid for care of Alexander Connors. He gave me a good life, as good as it could have been. I got to know him. He told me about how he came to be where he was. That he ran away from home at 15, ended up whoring himself out on the streets until Connors found him at age 18. I might hate Connors with every inch of myself, but he saved T's life, and T saved mine."

Morgan balled his hands into fists as he shot out his final assault on T. "He raped you!"

"Yeah, and I liked it!" Reid spat out before he could stop himself. The room grew silent for several seconds, before Reid whispered. "Oh my god… Forget I said that. Just forget I said that." He turned away from Morgan, a blush growing on his cheeks, as Morgan stood with his mouth open.

"In case you've forgotten, I've been raped. It's not something you enjoy."

Reid looked back at Morgan, "You were a kid, it was wrong what happened to you, but it's not the same thing. Nowhere near the same thing."

"Reid, kid, How can you say that? We deal with rape victims, dead and alive, all the time. How is what they go through, different than what happened to you?"

Reid sighed, wishing this conversation would go away. "Because they're assaulted out of hate. It's violent. What Tamesis and I did… He was kind, and gentle. Loving even. I don't know what the word for it is, but it wasn't rape."

Morgan shook his head in awe. "He took advantage of you."

"It's not his fault. He has an addiction too, a sex addiction, and I'd rather he… fulfill his needs with me, than out on the streets where he could pick up a disease."

"How do you know he doesn't already have one?"

"Because, Connors demanded regular STI tests from him. He wouldn't allow him to be 'imperfect'. Connors demands perfection from his staff. If Connors still had him, then he's clean." Reid replied.

Morgan sighed, still in disbelief. "I don't understand how you can care for someone who hurt you."

"He never hurt me."

"But, how could you _like_ what he did?"

Reid shrugged, "I don't know. You can't control what you like and what you don't. It's a natural human function. I liked it." He bit his lip before continuing. "I've never been good with the ladies like you are. I've tried, but there's never that… spark? I've never been able to be more than good friends, never had the desire to be anything more. Being with T opened my eyes to things I would never have considered before."

"What are you trying to say, Reid?" Morgan questioned.

"You're not like me. We're not the same. You're not…" he choked on the word. "…gay." He took a breath, and the rambling began. "I mean, I don't really know if I am or not. But it would make sense given my physical reaction to the acts performed with Tamesis. And then there's the emotional connection, which is just as strong as the physical connection was. I'm sure that means I like him in that way. And even if I don't, he still means a lot to me, and…"

Morgan took Reid by the shoulders and his ramblings stopped. "You've never said that to anyone have you?"

"What? That I think I might be…" He left the word out this time.

"Yeah, that."

"I've never thought about it. Never even admitted the possibility to myself until just now. So no, I haven't told anyone. You're the first." He looked away.

"Thank you for trusting me." He backed up with a sigh. "I won't push the issue anymore. I just wanted to make sure you'd be safe with him."

"I will be." Reid said.

Tamesis coughed and opened one eye, "You know, just because a person's eyes are closed doesn't mean they can't still hear you. Are you going to quiet down now?" He forced a smirk.

Reid's eyes went wide. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Oh um… all of it?" he grinned. "Tamesis 'Tornado' Loman, recruiting one straight man at a time."

"Tornado?" Reid questioned.

"An old street friend used to call me that. 'Cause I blew away the competition. And gave the best blowjobs known to man. There were multiple reasons for the nickname. I'd forgotten about it until now."

Reid shook his head, "I should have guessed."

The sound of the door to the apartment opening drew their attention away. "Gideon and Hotch must be back." Morgan stated the obvious.

Reid nodded, and looked at T. "I'll be right back, try to get some rest." T nodded as Hypatia jumped up on the bed, and nuzzled against him. Reid turned, and Morgan followed him out of the room.

Gideon set a couple bags of medical supplies on the coffee table while Reid and Morgan entered the room. Reid went to the bags and started digging things out, kneeling on the floor as he sorted them into piles according to purpose. The room was filled with silence; no one was sure what to say at that moment, until finally Reid broke the silence by declaring that he had finished sorting. He looked up at the other three men, "Did I miss anything?"

They all shook their heads. Morgan cleared this throat. "I think you should tell them what you told me earlier."

Reid swallowed hard, "I'd rather not."

"You can trust them, just as you trusted me."

Gideon and Hotch exchanged looks of concern and Reid shook his head. "I know I can, but this really isn't a good time."

"When is a good time?" Morgan questioned.

Reid shrugged. "Not now."

"Reid, kid, this is a good time."

A sigh from Reid as he looked to Hotch and Morgan, "I think I might… like T. Really like him. I might be… gay." He looked away quickly, and missed Gideon's knowing smile.

"Thanks for finally telling us." He said.

"You make it sound like you knew?" Reid looked back to him.

"Of course I knew. How many times since you came back to us did you ask me if I had heard from him? Asked me if I knew anything new about how he was doing, or where he was. I'm a profiler; it wasn't hard for me to figure out." Gideon replied with a fatherly smile.

Hotch nodded, "I suspected, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions."

Reid smiled, still embarrassed. "I guess I can tell everyone else too."

Hotch agreed, "Garcia will want to celebrate with you I'm sure."

"Right, I'll need to prepare for that one." He took a breath, "I should go tend to him," he said, glancing down the hall. "I need to make sure he doesn't get an infection or something worse. Thanks for your help though, I think I'd like to be alone with him for right now."

Gideon nodded, acting as the herder, and beginning to direct the other two out of the apartment. "Call if you need anything, and I'll check in tomorrow."

Reid smiled, "Thank you again. I'll see you tomorrow." Reid closed the door behind them, and leaned against it with a sigh. He took a minute to compose himself before grabbing some supplies and heading back down the hall to tend to T, a small smile playing across his lips.


	5. A Helping Hand

Chapter 5: A Helping Hand

Reid returned to the bedroom to find Hypatia curled up against T's chest. He smiled at the sight, before looking past the surface of the scene and to the wounds on T's body. Reid could only see the ones on his shoulders and arms, but the sight was frightening. The burns were older, but the lashes were a mixture of old and new, some of them probably having been received that day.

T groaned, cracking one eye open to look at Reid, "Are you just going to stand there staring at me all day? I know I'm hot, but gimme a break, I'm not exactly fully functional at the moment."

"Sorry," Reid said automatically, "you just look in rough shape. What happened to you?"

"Where do I start?" Tamesis asked.

"How about from when you called Gideon?"

"That far back? Okay, let's see…" He cleared his throat with a wince.

"Take your time," Reid said, crouching down next to the bed. "Don't push yourself, you can always finish later."

"I'll be fine. Really, they're mostly on the surface. I've had worse."

"I find that hard to believe, and no, some of these are pretty deep."

Tamesis sighed, "I thought you wanted my story."

Reid waved for him to continue and shut his mouth.

"I called him, and I waited around the side of your building, I watched until I saw them bring you out to the ambulance. Then I called the Boss and told him what had happened. He wasn't happy. For a second, I thought about following you to the hospital, but I knew that would only get me in more trouble. So I went to see the Boss." He shrugged, and winced again. "From there, he said he was going to use me as one of his testers. Until he realised that dying wouldn't teach me anything. I can't remember if I told you, but I was always his favourite. He was like, the dad I never had, you know?" He continued without letting S answer. "Anyway, so he took me to my new room. It looked like a prison cell, or a dungeon. Chains, a tiny uncomfortable bed, and weapons… tools to use." His voice cracked as he continued, the only sign he was feeling any emotion. "He chained me to the wall, and told me that my addiction would be my punishment. And then I got beaten, and burned, and whipped, and fucked…"

Reid cut him off, "Raped?"

"Hardly," T replied. "Can't really rape the willing now can you. It's not rape if you liked it."

Reid reflected back to what he had told Morgan earlier. He wanted to argue that in this case it was rape, but he knew that would only dig him into a hole. "You can't control how your body reacts. That's not your fault." A pause, "What happened next?"

"He tried to break me, but I guess it didn't work. I'm still here."

Reid swallowed, "You went through nine months of that?"

"Was it that long? After a while the days blended together, I guess I didn't notice."

"I'm so sorry, I should have tried to get to you sooner, I just thought you would be fine, that you'd still be doing what you always did." Reid looked down at the floor.

Tamesis attempted to reach out a hand to him, but the stretch it caused across his back caused him to bite down on his tongue to keep from screaming. "Fuck, that hurt!"

Reid looked up and then started digging into the supplies he'd grabbed, "Can you lay on your stomach for me?" he asked.

Slowly and with great care, Tamesis rolled from his side onto his front. And Reid slid the sheet down to his hips, keeping him decent. From there he got onto the opposite side of the bed, and kneeled next to T, taking a bottle of disinfectant and a clean gauze pad, soaking the pad in the liquid and rubbing it over T's back. Every movement eliciting a wince out of T. "Sorry, sorry." Reid continued the word like a whispered chant until he was done.

"I'm going to help you roll over now." He carefully placed a hand on T's far shoulder, slowly applying pressure to turn him onto his back. As he did so he noticed T's face laced with pain and agony. "God, T, I'm so sorry."

"Mmmph, I told you… I'll… be fine…" He gasped out.

Reid frowned as he continued applying disinfectant to the wounds on his front, then, getting him to sit up while he wrapped his upper body and his arms in gauze. He continued the process on each of T's legs and then covered him up again. "We'll leave that for now, I'll let you rest some more. If you need anything just yell." Reid said slipping off the bed and retreating back into the hall, Hypatia on his heels ready for food.

Later that evening Reid tiptoed back into the bedroom, trying not to wake T. He went to the side of the bed and grabbed a pillow off of it. T moaned and rolled over, opening an eye, and blinking at Reid.

"Sorry," Reid whispered. "I didn't mean to disturb you; I was just getting a pillow. Go back to sleep."

"Getting a pillow? You're not sleeping here?"

Reid swallowed, "Um, no. I…" thinking fast, "I don't want to accidently hurt you if I sleep here. It's okay. I'll be fine on the couch."

"What if I wanted you to sleep next to me?" T asked.

Reid shook his head, "I still wouldn't. Your health and healing is more important. And…" realising he has to draw a line somewhere, "I really don't want to make a habit of sleeping with people I'm not dating."

A frown, "That didn't seem to stop you before."

"It was a deal we made, to keep me alive, and keep you satisfied. But right now you're in no condition to get any – anything – from anyone, myself included. And I'm better. I don't need you to keep me from ODing anymore." He finished his reasoning, hoping it didn't sound harsh.

"Maybe for now… but I owe you, for saving me. You'll need to let me pay you back somehow."

"We'll talk about that when the time comes, but for now, you can repay me by getting better. I just want to see you healthy, and free of Connors. Now please, just sleep."

Tamesis made a noise of annoyance, disagreeing with the way the conversation played out. In reply he rolled over, turning his back on Reid. Reid took the pillow in his hand and retreated from the bedroom, back to the couch, where he pulled a throw blanket off the back of the couch and settled down for the night.

The morning came with Reid being awoken by Hypatia licking his face. Reid smiled, scratching her behind the ears. "What do you think you are? A dog?" She mewed at him, and leaped off his chest, padding to the kitchen, a sign that it was breakfast time. Reid stretched and stood up, following her until he noticed a lump on the floor just outside the bedroom door. He paused, focusing on T's bandaged naked form lying on the floor.

T raised his head with a smile, "Hi."

"My god, Tamesis!" Reid rushed to him. "What happened?"

"I had to pee." T answered simply.

"I told you to yell if you needed anything!" Reid scolded.

Tamesis sighed, "And I told you I was fine."

"Which you clearly aren't! How long have you been here?"

"Not long. About an hour."

"An hour? Jesus, T. Are you always this stubborn?"

Tamesis forced a grin through the pain. "Yes."

Slowly Reid helped T to his feet. "I hate to ask, but you didn't urinate on my floor did you?"

"No, not yet anyway." They took a few steps to the bathroom, Reid supporting Tamesis until they got to the door. "I'll be fine here. I don't need your help to pee."

Reid frowned but nodded, "Okay, I'll be right here if you need anything." Reid let go of T's arm, and watched as he entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Hypatia circled his feet as he waited, still meowing for food. "In a minute, sweetie. Let me get T back to bed okay."

After several minutes T emerged from the bathroom and was led back to bed, complaining as he went. "You know, when I'm told I have to spend all day in bed, this is_ not_how I picture it."

Reid shook his head as he pulled the covers over T's body. "I'll be in the living room if you need me."

Tamesis looked up at Reid, meeting his eyes. "Stay with me. Please."

Sighing, Reid answered, "We sort of talked about this. We're not together, you and I. And you're in no condition…"

"You know, for once," T cut him off, "I wasn't talking about sex. I'd just like the company. But seeing as you mentioned it, who says we can't be together?"

"I do. It just wouldn't be good for me right now."

"But you said you care about me. That you might even love me, didn't you?"

"I did, but that doesn't mean I have to act on it." Reid sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"So you're going to deny yourself pleasure when it's readily available?"

Nodding, "Yes. This isn't a good time for either of us. Besides that, do you think you could even be in a relationship with one person?"

T thought about it for a moment, before shaking his head. "No, probably not. So we could just be casual, no big deal."

"But that's not what I want, T. When, and if, I do find someone to be with, male or female, I want to be with just them, forever. And I'd like the same in return."

"But that's so limiting. How would you ever learn new tricks to share with new partners, if you only have one?"

Reid shook his head, "That's not what it's about. I guess you just can't understand."

Silence took over the conversation as minutes ticked by. "So…" T finally broke it, "when did you get a cat?"

"After I got out of rehab." Reid replied, looking at Hypatia who was sitting in the doorway, tail wrapped around her feet, giving him an annoyed look.

"Right. Rehab. Good for you. I guess."

Reid nodded, "It was good. It was just what I needed. I wish I could have known that earlier. Before I got in so deep."

"Before you met me?"

"That's not what I meant." Reid sighed.

T shrugged and winced, something that was starting to become a habit.

Reid noticed it out of the corner of his eye, "How are you feeling? Do you want any… umm… pain killers?" He swallowed as he said the word.

T nodded slowly, "Please."

Reid stood, finding the bag of supplies on the floor, and digging out a bottle of meds. Opening it he set two on the bedside table. "I'll bring you some water to drink those down with right after I feed Hypatia. She's giving me _that_look." He got a nod in reply, and made his way out of the room to go about his tasks.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for staying with me through my hiatus. Now that I'm done my Criminal Psych. course (and passed with approx. 93% - final grades aren't posted yet) I should be writing more regularly again.  
Stay tuned for more!


	6. Reflection of the Past

Chapter 6: Reflection of the Past

The afternoon brought Gideon and Hotch back to Reid's apartment. "How is he?" Gideon asked.

"Sleeping right now, but he seems to be okay. The wounds aren't as bad as they first looked, but it's going to take a while for him to heal."

Hotch looked at Reid squarely, "He should be in a hospital."

"He won't go."

"Why not? He said something about 'they'll find me'. What did he mean?" Hotch enquired.

"His family. He ran away when he was 15. It's a long story."

This time Gideon spoke, "Were they abusing him?"

Reid shook his head. "No, nothing like that. He ran away to protect them."

"Protect them from what?" Gideon kept pushing the conversation.

"His stalker. He used to traverse chat rooms and have webcam sex with older men. One man got too involved, somehow found out where he lived, and showed up at his house for more while T was watching his four younger siblings. T was able to get him to leave, getting him to come back later… And while the guy was gone, T put his siblings to bed, waited for his mom to get home from work, and told her he was leaving. So he left. Hoping his stalker would follow him. He didn't. But… T's been afraid to go back ever since. He thinks his family won't accept him, or they'll be mad at him, or something. I've tried to tell him they'll just be happy he's back, but he won't believe me." Reid stopped with a sigh.

Gideon and Hotch both nodded, understanding. "What about his dad?" Gideon asked.

"Out of the picture. As well as both his step dads."

"And he was only 15?" Hotch confirmed.

Reid nodded, "Too young."

Gideon looked at Reid, a certain sadness reflected in his gaze, at the tragic story. "He's been on the streets ever since, then?"

"Until Connors found him, but that's another story in itself."

"We have time." Hotch stated.

"Well, long story short, he killed a man who was trying to rape him. The man turned out to be one of Connors clients… Connors found him, and was going to teach him a lesson, until he realised he could put T to better use. I think T was 18 then. Connors put him through training, essentially brainwashing him. T's been his puppet for the last almost 4 years."

"Well he's free of him now." Gideon said.

"I hope so." Reid replied. "I don't know if T will let go of Connors that easy. The man was horrible to him, but T believes Connors saved his life. I don't know if I'll be able to convince him otherwise."

"We need to talk about what we're going to do about this case." Hotch said, bringing the conversation around to the reason they were there.

"I don't know what else I can do to help. I have T to worry about now."

"You said you wanted to be back on this team. You need to put the case before anything else." Hotch reminded him.

"I know I did, and I still do, but I've also seen what putting work first does to people in law enforcement. I'm not prepared to lose him again." Reid argued.

Silence followed that statement until Hotch cleared his throat. "Well, you need to decide. I can't make that choice for you. Right now though, we need to figure out how to stop Connors for good. We no longer have any leverage."

"I don't know if he can be stopped. He has too many connections. Too much power." Reid shook his head.

"Everyone can be stopped, Spencer. We just need to figure out their weakness." Gideon replied.

"Boss' weakness is well hidden." Tamesis spoke from the hallway.

The group of profilers looked up at the injured and dishevelled man, standing in what appeared to be Reid's bathrobe. Reid stood and walked over to him, steadying him and helping him across the open space to the couch where he sat next to Gideon. "So you're saying he has a weakness?" Reid asked, kneeling in front of him, and T nodded. "What is it T? You have to tell us."

"I can't." T replied. "I'm not allowed. I'm not even supposed to know, but he trusted me."

"And then he tortured you. That trust shouldn't be there anymore." Reid argued. "You can't be his slave forever."

"I'm not a slave, Reid. I was with him because I wanted to be."

Reid shook his head, "That's what he made you believe. Locking you up and torturing you wasn't giving you much of a choice."

"That's different!" Tamesis glanced at Hotch and Gideon before lowering his voice, as if he didn't trust them. "I needed to be punished, I was bad. It wasn't going to be forever."

"It was nine months! How much longer did you expect it to go on?"

Tamesis shrugged, "Until I learned my lesson. And obviously I did, because I'm here now. He gave me to you, so I could heal."

"And what are you going to do once you're healed, T?" Reid asked, almost afraid of the answer.

T shrugged again, "Go back, and tell him I'm sorry."

Reid shook his head in disbelief. Tears of frustration and sadness in his eyes. "Oh T. I wish I knew how to help you. To make you see that this isn't normal."

"You are helping me."

"What, helping you get better so you can go back to him? No, that's not going to happen T. I won't let you leave, and put yourself back in his hands."

T frowned, "You claim he locked me up, and that makes him a bad person. Yet now you say you won't let me leave? How is that any different? You'd be just as bad as he is."

Reid's shoulders slumped as he realised the truth in T's words. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to see you get hurt again."

"Why should I stay with you? You don't want me."

"When did I ever say I don't want you?" Reid looked confused. "I don't want a… a… an intimate relationship with you, but that doesn't mean I don't want you here."

"If you don't want to have sex with me, what else is there?" T looked genuinely confused that there could be more to a friendship, a relationship, than just sex.

Reid shook his head, "Let's talk about this later okay? This isn't the time."

T frowned, "Fine…" a pause. "Can we order in a pizza? I'm starving."

This time Reid nodded, "Yeah, we can do that. Do you want me to take you back to bed until it gets here, or do you want to stay here?"

"Here is good. I don't like being alone. It's boring."

Reid stood and moved over to his favourite chair, turning his attention back to Hotch and Gideon. "Sorry, where were we?"

Gideon smiled at him, "We were talking about Connors, but I think we've said all we can for now."

Hotch looked displeased, but nodded. "Work on getting us the information we need." He gave a sideways glance at Tamesis.

Reid nodded back, "I'll do my best."

The two older gentlemen stood, and Reid followed their lead, taking them to the door. "Call us if you get anything." Hotch said, though Reid could hear the order in the words.

"Yes, sir. I promise." Reid said before closing the door after them, and returning to T, sitting down next to him. "So, what do you like to eat?" Meaning, on his pizza, but shortening the sentence.

T grinned, "Meat."

Reid nodded, picking up his phone, and dialling by memory, not getting the innuendo behind T's answer. He ordered a meat lovers, and a classic Hawaiian, before hanging up. He looked at T, studying him, taking in his demeanour, the pain he was trying so hard to hide, but visible in his eyes. "Did the painkiller work last time?"

"A little." T replied.

"Do you want another?"

T nodded, and Reid stood up to get it. T called after him, "So, what do you do for fun around here?"

"I read mostly."

T's eyes fell to the multiple bookcases lining the opposite wall. "Read… Sounds… fun?"

"It can be. Depends on the book."

"Do you have anything good?" T asked.

"Again, that depends on what you like. Were you interested in reading something?"

T shook his head, even though Reid wasn't looking at him. "I'm not a good reader. I mean, I learned, I know how… I'm just not good at it."

"Can't be good at everything." Reid said returning to T with two more pills and a glass of water.

"You are." T replied.

"No I'm not. I know how to do a lot of things, at least in theory, but that doesn't mean I'd be any good at it."

T shrugged, taking the pills and drinking them down. "I guess."

Reid smiled at him and eased him down so his head was in his lap, stroking his hair. "Tell me more about your family, T."

"There's nothing more to tell, I've told you everything."

"What about your dad?"

"What about him? I never knew him. I was just barely one when he left."

"What was his name?" Reid enquired, trying to build a level of trust, so he could work up to harder questions later.

"Erik. That's how I got my middle name."

"Tamesis Erik Loman. That's a good name, you know."

"How's that?" T asked.

"It sounds strong. You are strong, you know."

"I used to be. Not really right now."

Reid smiled, "I don't mean physically strong. You're right; right now you're thinner than I am!" He laughed, to show he was just joking. "I mean, your willpower is strong, when you want it to be. You can overcome anything."

"You think so?"

"I know so. You're not weak, T. I need you to believe me. And believe that, at least about some things, I might be right."

"You mean when it comes to the Boss, you think you're right."

"Connors is a smart man, I won't deny that. To deny that would be to underestimate him. But, I like to think I'm smarter." He gave T a sly smile. "We don't have to talk about Connors right now, though. I want to talk about you. I know you grew up in Arlington, were you born there too?"

T nodded, "Yes."

"And you have four younger siblings."

Another nod, "Colwyn, and Orrin, from my first stepdad. And Araxie and Letha from stepdad number two."

"That was the stepdad that found out you were gay?"

"Yep, walked in on me during one of my chatroom sessions. Gave my mom an ultimatum, either I go or he does. He was gone the next day."

Reid noticed the sadness in T's tone. "You blame yourself for his leaving?"

"Of course I do. Now my sisters don't have a dad because of me. It's bad enough my dad left. Then my brother's dad. Then my sisters'! I'm fucking cursed. I ruin everything."

"No you don't. You didn't ruin me, you saved me."

"Is one accomplishment supposed to make up for a lifetime of mistakes?"

"You don't have a lifetime of mistakes, T. Yes you have a few, but we all do."

"So you don't think that being responsible for my dads leaving, failing nearly every class in school, dropping out of school, being gay, leaving home, becoming a whore, being a sex addict, and killing a man, equal a lifetime of mistakes?"

Ignoring the question, "You think being gay is a mistake?"

T sighed, "Well, no… but it hasn't made things any easier."

"Look, the only mistake I think you made was getting involved with Connors."

"So you would rather I still be a whore on the streets then?" T asked.

"No, of course not. I'm glad Connors took you off the streets and gave you a proper roof over your head, food to eat. That's the only thing I thank him for. But the things he's made you do, deal drugs, kill people in his name…"

"Only bad people." T interjected.

"That's not Connors place to decide who deserves to live or die. He stole whatever innocence you had left, T. But I promise you, I'm going to free you from him. I'll make it right again." When T didn't reply, Reid took it as a good sign. At least he wasn't arguing. "My only wish is that, when the time comes, you'll trust me."

"I want to… trust you. I do for the most part. You just can't understand what the Boss means to me. He's looked out for me, cared for me, been proud of me. He's the dad I never had." T blinked back tears. "I'm not losing another dad, Reid. I'm _not_!"

"Shh, it's okay. We don't have to discuss it now. I'll give you time to think about-" He was cut off by the sound of the buzzer, signalling the arrival of the pizza. Slowly he slid out from under T. Giving him a small sad smile before going to the intercom to buzz the pizza man in.


	7. Cravings

_A/N: So I've been reading back through my chapters, and realised this really isn't as good as my other fics have been. Of course, it's better than a lot of the crap out there, but truth be told, I have no plot. I have a couple scenes I want to write, but no idea how to fill in the spaces in between. So bare with me, and hopefully don't bore you all to death. LOL_

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Chapter 7: Cravings

Reid shook his head as he returned with the pizza boxes and placed them on his small coffee table. "What exactly were you trying to achieve, T?"

"What do you mean?" T asked innocently.

"I saw the looks you were giving the delivery boy, I'm not blind."

"He was cuuuute." T replied, sing-songy.

"And you're in no condition." Reid continued shaking his head as he opened the boxes.

"I just wanted a taste. I wouldn't _need _to have sex with him."

"Just what exactly were you thinking of then?"

"I could have just jerked him off, or gave him a blow-job. My arms aren't broken, and my mouth is fully functional." T nodded once, to emphasise his statement.

"Not in my house." Reid remarked.

"Hallway?"

"Not in this building! Gosh, you're impossible. You don't even know if he was gay."

"Oh trust me, I knew. I'm very good at picking 'em. I had you pegged right off the bat, didn't I? I knew before _you _did!"

Reid frowned, "I'm still not sure I am."

"You told your friends you are." T noted.

Reid sighed, "Yeah, and I care about you, a lot. But how do you know?"

T shrugged, "You just… know."

"You never once questioned your sexuality?" Reid asked.

T shook his head, grabbing a slice of pizza and taking a bite, his mouth full as he answered, "Never. I wasn't aware there was anything _to _question."

"Have you ever been with a woman before?"

Nodding, T replied, "A few times… More than a few actually. When I was on the streets. Female clients were rare, but they existed. Some of the other boys had strict preferences, but I didn't, so I usually got them all."

"And you were okay with that?"

"It was gross, I'm not gonna lie, but the women tip better, so it was worth it."

"So, you can compare the two and know which you like better."

"You can't?" T inquired.

Reid sighed, "I've only been with you, you should know that. I've kissed girls before, a couple times, and it was nice. Soft, I guess." He frowned, struggling to even talk about this. Too distracted by his thoughts to eat, even as T grabbed a second piece.

"Yeah, well, I have soft lips too." T's eyes glinted with a hint of mischief. "Wanna see?" In a swift practiced move he dove forward, faster than a man with his injuries should have been able to, and captured Reid's lips in a gentle but needy kiss.

Reid struggled not to melt into the kiss, putting his hands on Tamesis' shoulders and applying pressure to push him away without hurting him. When their lips parted Reid shook his head, "T, no."

T's shoulders slumped, and he put on a pout. "You didn't even give me a chance to woo you."

"I don't want to be wooed, T. I've told you we can't have a relationship. At least, not right now. Not until I figure out how to balance both you and work. I can't fall too deeply into one or the other; they're both important."

"But I need you." T admitted.

"No, you need _someone_. Not me."

"Well you're the only one here, Reid. What am I supposed to do?" T asked; a small glare set into his features.

"Resist it? Heal. I had to fight my craving for months, but I managed. There's still days I think about it, but I can handle it. I know you have the strength to resist your urges, just until you heal."

"I might be younger than you, but I've had my problem for a _lot_longer than you had yours. I've been this way since I was 11. I've had sex, in some form or another, nearly every day for over 10 years. I can't change."

"I'm not asking you to change, just to put your health first. When I no longer have to worry about you bleeding to death because your wounds have opened up again, you can do whatever you want, so long as it's not here."

"So now you're kicking me out to have sex on the street?"

Reid shook his head in disbelief. "Why do you insist on twisting my words like that? There are two of you involved, go back to their place."

T put down his half eaten slice of pizza and crossed his arms in a huff, "I just call it like I hear it."

"Please tell me you're not going to be childish about this. I stopped dealing with childish things when I was 7."

T glared, "Why are you being so mean to me? What did I do!"

"I'm not being mean; I'm just setting down some rules. While you're a guest here, you follow those rules. Simple. If you can't follow them, you can recover in a hospital." Reid stated with a small sigh. Not wanting to use it as a threat, but knowing it came out that way.

"You know I can't. I can't let them find me. It's better for them, if they think I'm dead."

"How is that better? I know, in my gut, that your mom still believes you're alive, that she still has hope. Wouldn't you like to relieve her of her worry, and have her know you're alright? You don't have to go back to them, just take away their suffering."

T shook his head, "She… They'll want to know what happened to me, and I can't tell them. It would just hurt them more. I know whatever they've imagined, isn't as bad as what actually happened."

"But Letha," Reid continued, "she was just a baby when you left. She's never known you; she has no memories of you. Wouldn't you like to know her, and have her know you?"

T paused, worrying at his lip with his teeth. "I… I'd like to know her, yes. But I can't let her know me. She's innocent. I don't want to taint her."

Reid reached out and brushed a curly lock out of T's face, resting his palm against T's cheek without even noticing what he was doing. "You can't taint her, T. You can't corrupt her. She's your sister, she needs her big brother."

"She has two others. She doesn't need me." T sighed, and pulled away from Reid's touch. "What kind of influence would I be on her? I like to drink, and fuck, and if someone offers me money for it, that's just an added bonus. She doesn't need that in her life. None of them do."

"That's not all of you, Tamesis. That's just a small part. When you're not being down on yourself, you're funny, and kind, you look out for the people you care about, you'd rather hurt yourself than see them hurt. You're a good person, T. Rather than thinking you'll teach her bad habits, you should focus on the fact that you can teach her what not to do. Teach her about the world without her having to experience it herself. Teach her to be careful. She'll trust you. Trust your experiences." Reid tried to smile, hoping he was encouraging T.

"Why would she trust me? She doesn't know me."

"You're family. She'll trust you."

T sighed, "It's a nice thought Reid, but I can't see it happening."

"Maybe not right away, but someday, T. Someday, the time will be right. And I want to be with you when it happens. I'll support you through it. Just think about it, okay?"

T shrugged, not answering one way or the other, before picking up his pizza slice again and taking another bite. "You know," he started, mouth full again. It made Reid smile as he analyzed the reasoning behind why T insisted on doing it. He almost missed what T said. "You've always been good at making me see the other side of things."

"Do you think I'll ever get you to see the other side of Connors?" Reid asked.

T shrugged again, "I dunno, maybe. Doubtful, but maybe. I mean, I know he's not a saint, or anything. I know he's had people killed, that I've done it for him, as well as many others who work for him have. I know all that, logically. But, no one's perfect. I can't explain what he means to me. When he met me he saw something in me that no one else ever saw. He knew I could be useful, that there was more to me than just a whore. He taught me that. He taught me how to defend myself, whether it was with my fists, a knife, or a gun. I'll never be a… a victim, again. I'll never be hurt again."

Reid's eyes were sad, "T, you have been hurt again. Look at yourself. They may be all bandaged up right now, but if you could see the marks on your body like I saw them... And _he_did this to you."

T shook his head, "He never touched me. It was the others, Four mostly. Four liked to practice his carving skills. But Four's always been a sick fuck."

"But it was Connors who let them. He gave them permission to."

"Why would he do that? He… I'm his favourite."

"You said it was because you needed to be punished."

T blinked and frowned, "I did? Oh… right, I did."

Reid reached out again, this time deliberately, and took T's head in his hands, holding the sides of his face. "I don't know how convoluted things are in your brain right now, but I promise you I'll help you sort them out. I know you see Connors as a saviour right now, but I'm hoping, now that you're away from him, that you can start to see him like the rest of us do. And I promise you, Connors isn't the only one who's seen you as more than a whore. I _know_you're more than that. I've always known that. I just want you to fight for yourself. Don't give in to what you think you know, just because it's easy. This isn't going to be easy, T, but I'm going to help you get yourself back."

T smiled, finishing his pizza slice as he looked at Reid. "Thanks, I guess." Slowly he averted his gaze, eyes falling to the pizza boxes. "You should eat too, you know. 'Cause if you don't remove your hands from my skin, I might have to kiss you again."

Reid laughed and pulled away, reaching for a slice of his pizza. "You should get some more rest after this, okay? There's no medical proof that sleeping makes you heal any faster, but it makes it seem faster if nothing else."

"Will you lay with me? Just lay." T asked, eyes flashing innocence.

Reid considered for a moment before nodding, "Okay, but no… funny business. And if I end up accidently hurting you, I'm coming back out here. Deal?"

T nodded, "Deal."


	8. Predator

**A/N: Well, I'm either going to get ragged on for Reid being a partial idiot, or praised for the awesomeness that is this chapter. Or both. Either way I'm happy with it. Feels like some of the chapters in DSH felt. Descriptive and purposeful. I have my mojo back. At least for this chapter... and maybe the next. LOL After that, who knows.**  
**Enjoy!**

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Chapter 8: Predator

Reid lay in bed next to T, staring up at the ceiling. For a while, he had watched T as he slept, but it was stirring things inside him he didn't want to deal with yet, and so the ceiling became his focus. Still his thoughts couldn't help but wander to the body lying next to him. He thought back to the times they had shared the year before; the sex, and the conversations. The ones where they would talk for hours about everything and nothing. They'd opened up to each other in ways neither of them had to any other person. They had something special; Reid just didn't know what it was yet.

His mind flittered to the recent kiss they shared, focusing on how it made him feel. He'd enjoyed every second of it, even if he hadn't let it continue. He couldn't deny the feelings he had, but he also wasn't sure if he could acknowledge them fully. Their relationship had been formed out of need and necessity, not out of a genuine want for the other person. They had used each other to get what they needed and stay alive. Reid wasn't going to let that happen again.

No, this time, if they ever had an intimate relationship again, it would be because they both truly wanted the other person. Not because Reid was the only one around to fulfill T's needs. Reid wouldn't allow himself to be used like that.

He sighed, wondering if such a relationship would even be conceivable with someone like Tamesis. He didn't know if T believed in monogamy, let alone if he would be able to stick to it. And if T did sleep with someone else while they were a couple, Reid wasn't sure how he'd take it. Would he be able to understand that it's not something T can control? Or would he be hurt and angry? Would it be something that would eventually tear them apart? Reid swallowed, not wanting to think about it. Besides that, he was getting ahead of himself, this wasn't even a sure thing yet, but that's just how his brain worked. Always thinking, running scenarios, needing to get the facts laid out in a straight line.

His eyes wandered around the confines of his bedroom, eventually landing on the closet. He tried to picture the empty side filled up with T's clothes. Clothes, he realised, T didn't have. He could picture T's signature pieces he always liked to wear: the leather jacket, black jeans, and heavy boots. He needed them back, but that would mean another visit with Connors.

Slowly Reid turned to his side and slid off the bed, careful not to disturb T. He found a notepad and scribbled a quick message before placing it on the pillow next to T. He was hoping he'd be back before T woke up, but you could never make assumptions when it came to Connors.

Reid tiptoed from the bedroom and made his way to the door, stopping only to clip his phone to his belt. He debated calling one of the team, Hotch maybe, for backup, or just to tell someone else where he was going and why. However he knew that anyone he called would try to talk him out of it. He would have his phone with him though, it's not like he would ignore one of them, if they called. And if they asked, he would tell them the truth, he just didn't see why he had to go out of his way to inform them. He swallowed hard as he took the stairs down to the underground parking, and hoped this wouldn't backfire on him.

Reid pulled up directly in front of Connors main compound, not caring about subtlety. He approached the thick compound door, and waited, knowing he was on camera. They would know he was there. When the door opened it was Troy again.

"You don't have an appointment." he stated.

"I need to see Connors, now." Reid replied.

"He's busy."

"I'll wait." Reid said, inviting himself inside. Troy's hand on his chest stopped him.

Troy turned, whispering into his wristwatch, as if he were pretending to be a spy. When he turned back he looked less than pleased. "Boss says he'll see you. Follow me."

Reid followed Troy through the halls of the compound, and was taken to Connors 'lair' as Reid had begun to think of it. Reid eyed Connors and the other man stood to greet him like a professional businessman would. Reid crossed his arms, having none of it.

"What brings you here, uninvited, Doctor?" Connors asked.

"I want T's things. His clothes and anything else he might have." Reid replied.

"So he's still alive, I take it?"

"Yes, and he's going to be fine."

"Why do you feel as if you can demand things from me and that I'll just roll over and let you get what you want? Have I ever given you the impression that I give things away without anything in return?"

Reid frowned, "So what do you want?"

"Well, I would greatly enjoy having you back, but I have a feeling you won't agree to that, and I wouldn't want to force you. This needs to be mutual."

"Get to the point, Connors."

"Stay with me, here, for one night. Let me show you the work I do. You've convinced yourself that everything I do is bad. I can assure it's not, but I know you won't take my word for it. Let me prove it to you." Connors smiled.

Reid shook his head immediately, "No, I can't stay here. I have to get back. T needs me."

"I can send someone to look after him for you."

It took everything in Reid's power not to laugh, "I'd rather you didn't. Not after what you did to him. I can't trust you."

"Fair enough. I'm sure if he's made it this long, he can last one night on his own." Connors paused, and eyed Reid slowly. "Well, what's your answer?"

Reid frowned, taking a moment to think about it. He couldn't leave T alone for the night. But this was also a great opportunity to see the inner workings of Connors business and find some sort of weakness in it. But he could also find nothing, and the deal would be a waste.

"You want his things, don't you?" Connors urged. "I suppose you could always buy him new clothes, but trust me; he has expensive tastes, even for me. And he likes the things he has."

"Can I make a phone call, _if _I agree to stay?" he made sure to emphasize the 'if'.

"That's a reasonable request. Anything else?"

"I want to take T's things to my car, now. So I can leave in the morning."

"Think you'll be in such a hurry to leave?" Connors gave a sigh, and nodded. "Fine, I'll have someone take you to his room. Four, perhaps?"

Reid couldn't supress the shudder that followed. 'Oh please, anyone but Four.' he thought to himself. It was too late to protest however, Connors was already issuing the order to have Four come to them. He opted to remain silent, turning to see Four enter the room.

Four stepped up to Connors, giving Reid a small look of disgust that didn't go unnoticed. He bowed his head in respect to his boss, "Sir?"

"I'd like you to take Doctor Reid here to pick up some things for his houseguest. They're already packed in boxes in his room. Help him carry them to his car."

Four remained silent, as if he was waiting for more instruction, and trying to keep the look of distaste off his face, believing this to be a task that was beneath his skills. Four's shoulders slumped slightly when Connors didn't continue. "Yes, sir."

Connors smiled at Four, "Treat him well. He's our guest. Run along now, have fun."

Four bowed his head again and turned on his heel, stalking towards the door he came in. It took Reid a second to react, but his long legs allowed him to catch up easily. He followed Four through dimly lit corridors that seems to descend downward, until they reached a series of doors. The hall was lined with them on both sides and Four stopped in front of one, turning the handle with his long fingers, and opened it for Reid to enter. After a small moment of hesitation Reid stepped forward, over the threshold and cast his gaze around the room.

It looked like a torture chamber and Reid couldn't stop his mouth from gaping open. He didn't even notice Four step in behind him and close the door. The walls were dark cement, and there was no window. Reid was sure they were underground somewhere. The only source of light was from a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room; it swung back and forth slightly in an unknown breeze, casting shadows up the walls. And attached to the walls were various implements of torture; whips, shackles, and devices Reid only knew from reading up on ancient torture methods.

In the far corner to his left was a small bedframe, topped with a thin mattress which had holes in it from the springs that poked through, and was stained dark red in places. Directly across from him were a set of chains and manacles attached to the wall, and the floor underneath them had the tell-tale signs of dried blood. To the right were two medium sized boxes, seemingly untouched by blood splatter or anything else. And behind the door stood an old nondescript toilet that was bolted to the floor and looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in ten years. And the smell, a mixture of urine and the metallic scent of blood, was overwhelming.

Four's voice was what finally brought him back to his senses. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Reid turned to look at Four, and couldn't help but notice that Four actually looked comfortable, and perhaps even happy, in this room.

It took Reid a moment to find his voice, and when he did speak it was soft and breathy. "You… you kept him here? For… for 9 months? How could you?" Reid ignored the fact that it wasn't really Four, but Connors, who had done this.

Four shrugged, "He deserved every minute of it."

Anger boiled up inside Reid and he jabbed a finger at Four's chest, towering over the shorter man. "You… animal. If anyone deserves to be tormented like this it's you and Connors. You both deserve a taste of what you dish out every day."

Four's golden-yellow eyes flashed, narrowing and taking on the distinctive look of a hawk spotting its prey. Reid took an instinctive step backwards and noticed Four had pulled an intricate blade from inside his vest. Reid's eyes flashed to the door, notice there was no door handle on the inside. Four looked at the blade, something akin to love or devotion in his eyes now, but that quickly flashed back to a predatory gaze as he cast his eyes back at Reid. "Hmm, door only opens from the outside." He looked back at the blade in his hand. "I'd like you to meet my Queen. She was a gift from the Boss, after I graduated from training. And she's hungry."

Reid gulped but forced himself to remain calm. Dealing with a psychopath, this was something he _could _do. "Four," he cautioned, trying to keep the quaver from his voice, "Connors… your boss… didn't give you permission to do this."

Four looked slightly amused, "Didn't he?" A grin spread across his face and Reid had a hard time picturing it normally, instead seeing each of Four's teeth as having been sharpened into points.

He blinked and shook his head, freeing himself from the image. "I didn't hear him say it. And he promised me a phone call."

"I'm not going to kill you, just play with you. You can have your phone call later." Four took a step towards Reid, who responded by taking another step away, keeping an arms (and blade) length between them.

"What do you want, Four?"

Four paused to think about it. "I want to help you. He might have infected you. I can cut it out for you." Referring to T.

"Infected me? With what?" Reid asked, buying time.

"His sickness. His disease." Four replied.

"What disease? T's clean, he doesn't have anything." Reid continued to try and keep Four talking. If he was talking, he wasn't cutting.

Four shook his head, hair falling in front of one eye. "Not that kind. It's what he _is_. What he _does_. With people like you. I tried to cut it out of him, but it was too far buried. I couldn't find it. But you might still have a chance."

Reid furrowed his brow in thought before it started to make sense. "You think, because he likes other men, that he's sick?"

Four nodded, "And he's infected you too. I can smell it on you. He tried to give it to me once, when he first came here. My Queen didn't like that. She told him so."

"Four," Reid tried to reason with him, "this isn't something you can cut out of a person. It's just the way they are."

Four glared, "You lie. I've done it before. Before I came here."

Reid nodded, "Alright, tell me about those times."

Four focused on Reid, trying to figure out if it was safe to tell him. Finally he took a breath and spoke, "My father was the first. I was six." Reid could see the hatred in Four's eyes as he spoke of the man. "Stabbed him with a kitchen knife."

"Was that the first time you'd killed something?" Reid swallowed.

Four shook his head, "No, I'd killed plenty of animals before that. I liked to know what made them… tick. But he didn't die, my father. No, he lived, but I had cured him. Father and mother sent me away after that. School they called it, but it wasn't really a school. They didn't let me have sharp things. Had to stay there until I was 18, then they couldn't keep me any longer."

"What did you do after that?" Reid asked, realising this was working, he was keeping Four distracted. He didn't want to think too deeply about Four's story though. The possible implications of what might have happened to this child at the hands of his own father threatened to make Reid feel sympathy for him. Something he wasn't prepared to do.

"I went home. You should have seen the look on my father's face when he saw me all grown up. He was scared, like I used to be. But I wasn't scared anymore. He assured me that he had been good, that he'd kept his hands to himself. But he liked to lie. So I made sure, doubly sure, that his words would remain true. I cut it off." He dropped his wrist, causing the tip of his blade to point at Reid's crotch, letting the action speak for itself. A look of pure glee passing over his face at the words.

"I… I'm sorry that happened to you. That you had to go to such extremes to make it safe for you and others."

Four smiled, an expression that looked out of place on him. "Don't be. It was the beginning of the new me. I had been given purpose."

"Did you kill after that?"

Four nodded, "A few here, a few there. It was always an experiment, you know. The sickness is hidden differently in different people. Sometimes it took a while to find. Mostly they bled to death before I could find it." Four shrugged. "But that works just as well. They can't infect anyone else that way."

Reid mind flashed to an old casefile he had read. Gay men stabbed and cut open, pieces removed. One a week, for 2 months before they just stopped. To think he could be looking at the unsub for that case was both frightening and fascinating. "So, Connors found you after that?"

"Mmhmm, he'd been looking for me for a while. Said I was special. He taught me control, and discipline. I only kill now when he asks me to."

Reid was slightly astonished that someone like Four could ever be controlled, knowing that was just a testament to the supreme brainwashing skills Connors must have. "And he didn't ask you to kill me."

"Already told you, I'm not going to kill you." Four stepped forward again, refocusing on his task, but was distracted when the door swung open. He turned, only to be greeted with a strong backhand, Connors bejewelled rings scraping his skin. "B-b-boss?" Four looked up at Connors, confusion on his face.

"I told you," Connors growled, "he's a guest. This is not how we treat our guests."

"I… But you told me to have fun. I thought…" Four was cut off by Connors strong hand grabbing him by the throat. Four dropped his Queen and struggled against the hand cutting off his airway.

"Since when are you allowed to think? You don't think, you just do as you're told. Understood?"

Four attempted to nod, but didn't succeed. Reid silently cursed at himself before he opened his mouth, "Connors, let him go. I'm fine."

Connors glanced over his shoulder at Reid, menacingly. "As long as you're a guest under my roof, boy, you will address me as Sir." The carefully placed façade of a perfect gentleman slipping in his rage.

Reid raised a brow, "I will not. Now let him go."

Connors seemed to growl again before he released Four and composed himself. He looked at Four, who had slunk to the floor. "Get up; take these boxes out to the good Doctor's car, then return to your room."

Four nodded hurriedly, and didn't hesitate, taking up his Queen and putting her away as he followed his instructions. The room was silent until Four left, who was only able to carry one box at a time. Reid then cast his gaze to Connors. "You could have shown up a little sooner." Reid said bitterly.

"Be grateful I showed up at all." Connors replied.

"How did you know to show up, anyway?" Reid asked.

Connors pointed to the top corner of the room, behind the door, where a camera was placed, red light blinking. "I had to keep this room monitored. Had to make sure no one went too far. Had he died on his own time, that would have been fine, but there is no killing on site."

"You wouldn't have cared if he died?" Reid asked, already pretty sure of the answer.

"Not in the slightest. He's already dead to me. Nothing but a disappointment." Connors replied.

Reid suddenly wished he had a voice recorder, or some other way of proving to T what Connors had just said. He glanced at the camera and sighed, knowing there was no way he'd be allowed to get that recording. A few seconds ticked by and Reid refocused his thoughts. "We need to renegotiate our terms."

"Do we? And why is that?" Connors inquired.

"Considering one of your men just tried to kill me, I think I should be allowed to make a few more demands." Reid said, stretching the truth slightly.

"Requests. You can make requests, not demands." Connors corrected.

"You have another compound. I want to see it."

"The training facility. It is part of the grand tour you'll receive. Anything else."

"I want to leave tonight. You still get the chance to show me your side of things, but I am not spending the night here. Oh and I still want my phone call."

Connors considered for a moment before nodding reluctantly. "You'll miss the best part, I'm afraid, but it's a fair bargain. You may make your phone call whenever you wish."

Reid nodded and unclipped his phone from his belt, dialling his home number and raising the phone to his ear. Silently he hoped T would answer. It rang, and rang, before finally dropping to voicemail. Reid sighed and hung up without leaving a message, and started to dial again when Connors grabbed his wrist.

"I said _one _phone call. Just one." Connors was smirking.

"There was no answer." Reid replied, pulling his wrist free.

"Not my problem." Connors said. "Now, let me have your phone, so you don't try again." His tone left no more room for negotiation.

Slowly Reid handed it over, "I get it back when I leave."

"Of course. Now come with me, we have little time." Connors said turning to exit the small room, Reid following, just as Four came back for the second box.


	9. Lessons

A/N: I have to take a moment to thank my best friend and beta, my wonderful Eviler Twin. This chapter and the last would not have been possible without suggestions and ideas from her. I was dead for ideas and where to take this, and at least, for the next chapter or two I have some idea of what I'm doing. So thank you, darling! Mwah!

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Chapter 9: Lessons

The drive to the other compound took them across town to another warehouse. The trip was quiet as Connors attempted to make small talk, as they rode side-by-side in the luxury Town Car, and Reid refused to respond. When they got out of the vehicle, Reid followed Connors through a side door, and was greeted with an interior very much like the main compound. Bare walls that were mostly cement, narrow halls, and countless rooms.

The first room they stopped at was a small study, with a rich wood desk polished to perfection, and bookshelves filled with everything from teen fiction to police case studies. Reid was sure they were just for show, as Connors didn't seem to show an interest in reading. Connors briefly introduced the room as his 'secondary office' before they continued on.

Next they came to a common area. Tables like those in a school cafeteria littered the space, and there were various weight-lifting equipment in one corner. Young men, and the odd girl, chatted in small groups, stopping only to give Connors a nod of respect before continuing. Connors smiled proudly at them, explaining to Reid, "These are just a few of the kids who will be joining my business once they graduate from their training. The rest are in class right now."

"Class?" Reid mused aloud.

Connors seemed to take that as a suggestion to move on, and he led Reid down a separate hallway, where they stopped at a door. Connors opened it without knocking and they were met with a classroom, the desks had been pulled away from the front, leaving space for the two students at the front to have room to manoeuvre. Everyone in the class paused, eyes falling to the doorway, and the eldest in the room bowed his head, and addressed the students. "Class, please show the appropriate respect to your future boss."

The students quickly bowed their heads, and mumbled "Sir" in admiration.

Connors smiled at the man who spoke. "Thank you, Tank. They clearly still have a lot to learn. Were we about to have a test?" He motioned to the two students at the front.

Tank nodded, "Yes, sir. Waste and Rubbish were about to see who was the better man."

Reid furrowed his brow, and Connors caught the expression out of the corner of his eye. "Their names, while they train. Their weakness. When they graduate, they get new names. Like Tank here, who is in charge of training hand-to-hand combat. Or their rank, as one of my drop boys."

Reid shook his head in disbelief. He had no idea what Connors was trying to achieve by showing this to him, but unless it was disgust, it wasn't working.

Tan smiled, "Would you like to stick around for the fight?"

Connors shook his head, "We have other things to see, and nightfall is fast approaching."

They left the room just as the two students attacked each other, a sickening crack of fist to skull echoing behind them. The next room Connors open the door to was similar to the previous, and two students were engaged in combat, this time they each held a knife.

The man at the front of this class barked an order to stop and both students halted their attacks, one of which was bleeding significantly more than the other. Connors smiled as he got the recognition from the class he believed he deserved, and then introduced the teacher. "Doctor Reid, this is Blade. He runs knife training. There's no one better with a knife than him, except perhaps Four, but Four isn't suited for this job." He motioned to the two students, "Carry on."

Reid shook his head, leaving the room in a hurry, not wanting to witness the rest of the fight. Connors took up the lead again as they reached a third door. When Connors opened this one he broke the seal on what was some expensive sound proofing, and they were met with the sound of gunfire. It took everything in Reid not to duck for cover as Connors calmly entered the large room. Reid took a breath and followed, eyes landing on what was an impressive indoor shooting range.

A third teacher was instructing the students on proper stance, and procedure, while giving them goals to complete. He noticed Connors and made his way over to them, bowing low when he reached them. "Sir, I wasn't expecting a visit today."

"This was unplanned. Doctor Reid, this is Bullet. Possibly the best shot in the country."

"Thank you, sir." Bullet said with another bow.

Reid stood uncomfortably as Connors and Bullet exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes, grateful when Connors finally led him back out of the room. "What exactly has the point of this been?" Reid asked.

Connors shrugged, "You said you wanted to see it."

"And you said you were already planning on showing me, which means you had a reason for it. Why?"

They walked down a corridor, full of doors on either side, just like in the other compound. "Dorm rooms." Connors explained, before answering Reid's question. "Because you need to see that this is good. These kids need structure, and I provide that." They connected to the hallway that housed the office, and Connors silently led them to it, waiting for Reid to take a seat before continuing. "These kids would be on the streets, in jail, or dead, if they weren't here. Here they get good food, friends, a roof over their heads, and education."

"Not proper education." Reid argued. "Most of them should still be in school."

"They weren't when I found them. Besides, what good would math do them in the real world? They need to learn how to protect themselves."

"And learn how to kill for you." Reid glared.

"Now now, Doctor, I don't appreciate your harsh tone." He waved a hand dismissively. "It's their choice to stay here, they could leave if they wished, but they don't. Surely that's because what I provide them is better than what they had."

"Or it's because you've brainwashed them into thinking they owe you something. Tell me, how do you do it. The brainwashing, I mean."

Connors raised a brow, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Come on, you can't think that being bowed to is normal, unless you're literally a King or Queen, which you are not."

"They bow because they respect me, no other reason."

"If they could see who you really are, they wouldn't. Now tell me how you do it." Reid insisted.

Connors glared, annoyed but Reid's persistence. "Perhaps you'd like to spend the night here, and find out first hand."

"Are you threatening me, Connors?"

"Not at all, just merely offering my hospitality."

"I'll pass thanks." Reid said with slight sarcasm. "You've had your hooks in me before; it will not happen again."

"So you're going to deny yourself the opportunity to learn what makes my operation tick. Isn't it your ultimate goal to find a way to destroy me? This could be your chance."

"Or it could backfire, and you could end up conditioning me to your will. I'm not putting myself at more risk than I already have." Reid stood so he was looking down at Connors. "You may think you're untouchable, but you're not. I will find a way to bring you down, I swear it."

"If it's the last thing you do?" Connors mocked. "Good luck with that, Doctor. You'll need it."

Reid scowled, "I'd like to go back to my car now. I've seen enough."

"But it's not yet nightfall; I believe I have you until then." Connors reminded, and Reid's expression fell. "The question is, what do I do with you until then?"

Reid swallowed, slight nerves spiking at the tone of Connors voice. Seconds ticked by until an idea struck Connors, and he smirked.

"Excuse me for a minute, Doctor." Connors slipped from the room, leaving Reid alone to ponder what he was up to. When he returned he had a smile on his face. "How would you like to see one of the dorm rooms? You don't have to stay the night, don't look so worried. I just think it would be a good place to pass some time, and you can see the quality of living I provide."

Reid frowned, "That'll take 3 minutes, tops."

"Perhaps." Connors replied, something in his tone Reid couldn't pinpoint. "But I think you should see one anyway."

Reid couldn't shake the feeling crawling down his spine that Connors had something up his sleeve. However, they could either argue about it until nightfall, or, Reid figured, he could just get it over with and move on. If there was one thing about Connors he could trust, it was that Connors was a man of his word; he would be free of Connors at nightfall and not a moment sooner, but also not a moment later. With a frown still on his face he nodded, "Fine. Let's go."

Connors led him back through the maze of hallways to the dorm area and opened the first door they came to. "This room isn't being used right now, so it's a little bare. Usually the kids have pictures or magazine clippings on the walls of things they like. And personal items, to make it more comfortable. I'm afraid you'll have to live without having a stack of books to keep you comfy."

"Not living here." Reid reminded.

Connors ignored that, stepping into the small room, and nearly blocking one corner from view with his large frame and fur jacket. "Please, sit on the bed. See how soft it is. And the pillows, fluffy no?"

Reid frowned deeper as he moved to the bed, eyeing Connors with suspicion. As he sat down on the bed, and noted that, yes, it was pretty nice actually; Connors moved back to the door and smirked. Reid watched him, calculating the distance between him and Connors. He stood and started moving back towards Connors.

"SIT!" Connors barked before amending, "…down, please."

Reid nodded, stepping backwards to the bed again. He might have been taller than Connors, but Connors was at least twice his size; if this became physical Reid knew he would lose.

"Good boy. Stay a while; I'll collect you at nightfall." Connors said as he started to close the door.

"You bastard." Reid said with a glare.

Connors shook his head in disappointment, "Now now, Doctor, I promised you wouldn't stay the night, and you won't. But you will stay until then, and frankly I'm tired of dealing with you. So you'll stay here, out of my sight and out of my way. Oh, and enjoy your present."

Reid's brow furrowed in confusion, and he looked around the room. His eyes landed on the corner Connors had blocked from view before. On a small stand stood a crystal clear phial, a syringe, and a tourniquet. Reid groaned and looked at the door, noticing that it was now closed, and there was no handle on the inside. "Connors!" he yelled, unsure if the other man could hear him. "This isn't going to work! I am _not_ coming back to you, and I am _not _going to enjoy anything!"

He didn't get a reply. He was comforted by the fact that there was a small window set up high near the ceiling, so he would at least be able to estimate the time. He sighed and lay back on the bed, eyes moving to the phial. He wanted to move it somewhere out of sight, but he knew he couldn't touch it. If he touched it, it would be that much harder to resist.

Reid wasn't too worried about slipping and caving to the craving, he had the tools he needed to stay strong, but that didn't mean it was going to be easy. No, this was going to be the hardest thing he had to do since quitting in the first place. Slowly he tore his gaze away, focusing on the window. He was surprised when soft music started being piped into the room. He couldn't see the speakers but they were there, somewhere. It was relaxing, and then Connors voice came through the speakers as well. A pre-recorded message, talking of trust and loyalty and devotion. Reid quickly put the pillow over his head drowning it out, not about to fall into Connors trap. It was hypnosis at its finest, and it finally all made sense to Reid, or at least most of it did. This was just one of the ways that Connors got insides the heads of the kids he recruited.

Reid muffled the sound as best he could and settled in for a long few hours before he would be free of Connors. The thought occurred to him that it would be much easier to ignore Connors voice if he was passed out, but he quickly pushed that back and refocused on going through the lessons he'd learned in rehab. He could no longer see the window, so this was going to be harder than he'd initially thought.


End file.
